David Cameron unveiled a new plan to get youngsters off the dole this morning – with 50,000 new apprenticeships paid for with cash raised from bank fines.

The Prime Minister said the new jobs would be set aside for 22 to 24-year-olds who had been out of work for more than six months.

He said the £200million scheme used cash from 'Labour's failed past' to help the next generation of workers. But Ed Miliband's party said the number of people in apprenticeships had fallen under the Coalition.

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David Cameron, speaking in Enflied, north London this morning, unveiled a new plan to get youngsters off the dole – with 50,000 new apprenticeships over the next three years

The Prime Minister said the new jobs would be set aside for 22 to 24-year-olds who had been out of work for more than six months.

With opinion polls still deadlocked, Mr Cameron unveiled his latest scheme to convince floating voters to back the Tories at a factory in Enfield, north London.

He said the 50,000 extra apprenticeships - on top of the three million the Tories are already committed to generating - would be set up over the next three years and set aside for under 25s struggling to find work.

Mr Cameron has already pledged to force 18-21-year-olds who have been unemployed for six months to choose between an apprenticeship or daily community work. But the new jobs will target 22-24 year olds who have finished university but have not been able to find a job.

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But Labour said the Tory apprenticeships' pledge did not go far enough. Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said: 'One in five apprentices is receiving no formal training, while almost four in ten firms are unaware the in-work training they provide is branded as an apprenticeship by the government.

'The Tories have failed to match Labour's plans to guarantee an apprenticeship place for every school leaver who gets the grades and use government procurement to create thousands of new apprenticeship opportunities.'

The Lib Dems said they would double the number of companies offering apprenticeships to young people, with 360,000 firms offering on-the-job training.

But Mr Cameron said the Tory plan would help 'train young people and get them off the dole and into work'.

He said: 'This is about taking money off those who represent Labour's failed past, and giving to those who through their hard work and endeavour can represent a brighter Conservative future.'

It came as Mr Cameron ramped up his warnings over the threat posed by Labour – claiming that the electorate had '10 days to save the United Kingdom'.

'There's 10 days to go, it's a bloody important election and I'm determined to get across the line,' he said - the latest in more 'passionate' statements after criticisms of a lacklustre campaign.

But Ed Miliband hit back by challenging the Prime Minister on immigration. The Labour leader unveiled 10 'clear, credible and concrete' measures to tackle the scale of migration - accusing the Tories of 'abandoning' the issue to Ukip.

Mr Miliband promised 1,000 extra border staff, a ban on serious criminals entering the country and full exit checks. There would also be a two-year benefit ban for new arrivals,

He said: 'Immigration is too important an issue for our country to be abandoned by the Prime Minister so it can be exploited by Nigel Farage. We are setting out sensible and practical changes to this system.

'Today, I challenge the Conservative Party to match our offer, show you are serious on immigration without making false promises or playing the politics of fear.'